Hyouka Volume 1 - Hyouka - You can_t escape The niece of time

"Sis, what do you know about Sekitani Jun?"
I decided to ask her seriously.
All I got was a simple answer.
"I don't have time for that! Bye!"
Click. Beep, beep.
I took the receiver away from my ear and looked at it like an idiot.
"..."
... Why this...
"Stupid sister!"
I slammed the receiver on the phone, causing it to shake with a loud noise.
My irritation was now doubled, thanks to my sis.

I no longer remembered what my sis said exactly, as the conversation
happened so quickly there was no time for me to verify it. Still, the part
where she replied negatively concerning the incident was fresh in my mind.
I went back to my bed and took out everything the Classics Club had
collected concerning the incident from my bag. 'Hyouka', the 'Unity and
Salutation', the 'Kami High Monthly' and the 'Kamiyama High School:
Walking Together for 50 Years'... I also placed the letter my sis sent from
Istanbul alongside those as I once again read that line that got my attention.
I'm sure I'll look back ten years from now and view every day I'm out here
without regret.
Ten years from now, huh? As Sekitani Jun was president 33 years ago, if he's

still alive he would be about 50 by now. Would he still look back at his high
school life without regret?

I think he wouldn't. The "hero" that sacrificed himself for the passion of his
comrades and forsook his choice to continue his high school education would
have no regrets for making such a decision. Ever since my deduction at the
Chitanda residence, that was what I thought.

But was that really true?

It was just a Cultural Festival, yet it led to the school coming after him and
changed his life. If life in high school is rose-coloured, then would such an
intensely rose-coloured life that gets interrupted still be called rosy?

The grey-coloured part in me told me this wasn't so. Sacrificing oneself so
that his comrades would be forgiven, would a hero endure something like
that? That thought surfaced in my mind. Though I still resisted such a
thought, I could not ignore the fact that my sis had called the incident a
tragedy.

I needed to revise this once again. I took out all the copies that mentioned
that incident.

And so, I began to inquire whether Sekitani Jun's life was really rose-
coloured 33 years ago.

The following day, I headed to school dressed in my casual wear. In order to
confirm something, I called Chitanda, Ibara and Satoshi out as well. All I said
to them was simply this, "There's something else I needed to add to
yesterday's deduction before this can be fully concluded. I'll be waiting at the
Geology Room."

And so the three of them came. Ibara was bound to treat my bringing up a
supposedly resolved problem with sarcasm, and while Satoshi was smiling,
the look of surprise at me deviating from my usual behaviour could still be
seen. As for Chitanda, she spoke upon seeing me.

"Oreki-san, I feel like there's still something that I need to know."

I felt the same way as well. As I nodded, I placed my hand on her shoulder.

"It's fine. I think we should be able to sort this out by today. Just hang on a bit
longer."

"What do you mean by adding to yesterday's deduction, Oreki?"

"Adding means taking the final step in order to complete something that is
still incomplete."

"I don't get it, are you saying we've been looking into this the wrong way or
heading into the wrong conclusion?"

"Just hear me out."

As I took out my notes, I glanced at it myself rather than showing it to the
rest.

"... 'Hyouka' was meant to be written as something more important. It was not
meant to chronicle the life of Sekitani Jun or made as a heroic tale, that's
what the preface says anyway."

That was the part that Satoshi covered yesterday. As expected, he spoke up.

"Isn't that the part we discussed yesterday?"

"Yeah, but perhaps we may have been misled."

"What do you mean?"

"This passage here, 'As a sacrifice of the conflict, even Sempai's smile would
end up along the flow of time into eternity.' The 'sacrifice' here does not mean
giving up voluntarily, rather, it means 'sacrifice' as an offering."

Ibara raised her eyebrow.

"But wouldn't they have used 'victim' instead of 'sacrifice' then?"

'Victim' huh? Though I didn't need to do much explaining, as Chitanda
covered for me.

"No, 'sacrifice' can also be involuntarily. It used to mean just that in the past."

[2]

As expected from an honours student, that was quick. And I was just about to
get a dictionary.

Satoshi commented with a sigh, "... I get what you're trying to say about a
different meaning to that word, but isn't that obvious? Besides, there's no way
we could find out which meaning is true without asking the author first."

Of course, the difference in meaning was not purely a linguistic problem. As
language was never as precise as math, it was natural that words would have
more than one meaning. So it's not possible to conclude that a word means
something else completely.

Yet there was a way to solve this. I nodded confidently to Satoshi and said,
"Well, then we'll just have to ask the author."

"... Who is it?"

"The one who wrote this foreword, of course. Kooriyama Youko-san was a
first year student 33 years ago. She should be around 48 or 49 now."

Chitanda's eyes widened.

"So did you find her?"

I brusquely shook my head.

"I don't have to. Since she's very close by anyway."

Ibara raised her head. As expected, she was the first to figure it out.

"Oh! I see!"

"That's right."

"What do you mean?"

"What have you figured out?"

Ibara looked at me, and I nodded softly to urge her to explain.

"... It's Itoikawa-sensei the Head Librarian, isn't it? Itoikawa Youko-sensei,
her maiden name was Kooriyama. Am I right?"

As Ibara was a librarian herself, she naturally knew the full name of Itoikawa,
that's why she was quick to realize.

"Exactly. If you merely heard the name 'Ibara Satoshi' without seeing how it's
spelled, then you have no way of guessing whether Satoshi has adopted
Ibara's name. But since we know Itoikawa's given name is spelled 'Youko', as
well as the fact her age matches, then figuring out her maiden name becomes
elementary."

Crossing her arms, Ibara began spouting her cynical sarcasm.

"You really are weird. Even I couldn't realize such a thing despite being in
contact with Sensei all the time, yet you managed to do that. Maybe you
should get Chi-chan to have a look inside your head."

As I said before, I got lucky with a flash of inspiration. I also do not want to
be lobotomized by Chitanda.

Meanwhile, Chitanda's face was slowly getting redder.

"T, then, if we hear from Itoikawa-sensei..."

"Then we'll know what happened 33 years ago. Why that was not a heroic
tale, why the cover was designed that way, why the anthology was titled
'Hyouka'... We'll get all the answers concerning your uncle."

"But, do you have any proof that it's really Itoikawa-sensei? Wouldn't it be
awkward if it turns out to be someone else?"

We won't be mistaken. I took a look at my wristwatch and reckoned it was

about time.

"Actually, I did make sure of that. I found out she was club president in her
second year. I made an appointment to speak with her about it. It should be
about time now, let's head to the library."

As I turned to leave, I could hear Ibara mutter, "You sure are enthusiastic."

I guess I am.

During summer vacation, the library would have its window blinds down to
protect the books from exposure to intense sunlight. In this moderate air-
conditioned indoor environment, the library was still packed with students
preparing for the Kanya Festival or third years preparing for their university
entrance exams. Itoikawa could be seen writing something while sitting
behind the counter, wearing a pair of glasses which we did not see last time
as she wrote. She had a rather small figure, and wrinkles were visible on her
face, proof that it's been nearly 31 years since she graduated from high
school.

"Itoikawa-sensei,"

She turned and noticed us as we called out to her. Lifting her face, she
smiled.

"Ah, the Classics Club,"

She looked around the library and said, "It's a bit crowded here, shall we head
to the Librarian Office?"

And led us to an office behind the counter.

The Librarian Office was a cozy office big enough for one person to work in,
though the air-conditioner was considerably smaller in here. As the blinds
weren't down, Itoikawa went ahead and lowered them as she gestured for us

to take a seat on the guest sofa. A soft fragrance could be smelled, as it came
from a flower pot placed on the only table in the room. It was a very ordinary
and easy to miss flower, and was probably not meant for the guests but for
herself to admire.

Though the sofa was large, it was still not big enough for the four of us. So
Itoikawa had to take out a folding chair and place it beside the sofa. But why
was it me that ended up on the folding chair while the other three got the
sofa? Itoikawa sat on her own revolving chair. Placing her elbows on the
table, she faced us and said, "Well, what is it that you wish to speak to me
about?"

She asked gently. As she was asking everyone from the Classics Club, it was
natural that I would have to speak on behalf of the club. I tried to shrug off
this urge to cross my arms and legs in a situation which I was not used to, and
courteously replied, "Yes, there's something we would like to inquire from
you. But first, we'd like to confirm something. Is your maiden name
Kooriyama?"

She nodded.

"Then that means this was written by you, right?"

I took out the copy from my pocket and handed to her. Itoikawa moved her
eyes across the piece of paper and smiled gently,

"Yes, that's me. But I'm surprised that this managed to get preserved."

She then seemed to lower her gaze to me.

"I think I know what it is that you wanted to discuss with me. To have
students from the Classics Club inquire about my maiden name, I had an idea
what was going on... you wish to know about the movement 33 years ago,
right?"

Bingo, so she does know.

However, in contrast to the expectation shown on our expressions, Itoikawa

merely sighed.

"But, why would you ask about such a distant event now? It would have been
better to forget about it."

"Well, this is mainly thanks to Chitanda here viewing all sorts of curious
events like a beast, or I would not have noticed this event to begin with."

"A beast?"

"Sorry, I meant like a feast."[3]

Itoikawa and Satoshi both smiled, while Ibara gave an exasperated look.
Chitanda protested softly, though I ignored her. Itoikawa smiled softly at
Chitanda and asked, "And why were you interested in that movement back
then?"

I noticed Chitanda gripping her fists on her knees. She was probably nervous
as she answered briefly, "Sekitani Jun was my uncle."

Itoikawa let out a gasp.

"Oh, I see, Sekitani Jun... Such a nostalgic name. How is he?"

"I have no idea, as he was reported missing in India."

She gasped again, "Oh." Though she didn't seem to have wavered. Perhaps
living for 50 years meant she'd seen it all?

"I see. And I had always wished to meet him once again."

"So do I. I just wanted to see him one more time."

Was Sekitani Jun a person that was worth meeting once again? I couldn't help
but wonder perhaps I should meet him as well.

As though filled with emotions, Chitanda spoke slowly.

"Itoikawa-sensei, please tell me, what exactly happened 33 years ago? Why

was the incident my uncle was involved in not a heroic tale? Why is the
Classics Club anthology titled 'Hyouka'? ... Are Oreki-san's deductions
correct?"

"Deductions?"

Itoikawa asked me, "What do you mean by that?"

Satoshi answered, "Sensei, Oreki has managed to deduce what could have
happened 33 years ago using the limited information we have gathered. So
perhaps you should hear it from him."

Seems like I have to repeat what I had said yesterday. No, though I had
intended to do so anyway, I had not yet realized that it could just be
speculation for someone who had gone through the incident herself. Though I
was confident of my deductions, there was a small thought that I might have
gotten it wrong. I licked my lips and began my explanation using the same
5W1H method as yesterday.

"First, the main character for this incident..."

"... And so, we concluded that the dropping out occurred in October."

Once I got it all out, I was surprised by how well I managed to organize my
thoughts. As I spoke without referring to any notes, time seemed to pass by
even faster.

All the time while I spoke, Itoikawa remained silent. She spoke to Ibara at
once as I finished.

"Ibara-san, do you have the notes that you speak of?"

"No, I..."

"I got them."

Satoshi opened his drawstring bag and took out a stack of notes which was
folded in quarters, and handed them over to Itoikawa. She took a quick
glance at them and looked up.

"You managed to form a deduction just from all these?"

Chitanda nodded.

"Yes, Oreki-san did."

That's not exactly right.

"I merely pooled their theories together, that's all."

"Still,"

Sigh. Itoikawa breathed out a sigh and placed the notes on the table as she
crossed her legs.

"I'm amazed."

"It wasn't wrong?"

Ibara asked, to which she shook her head.

"No, it is just as Oreki-kun said. Everything is true. It feels uncanny, as
though you stood alongside me as I watched the whole thing unfold back
then."

I let out a breath.

I was indeed relieved that I got it all right.

"Well, what else do you wish to ask from me? I might even give you a
passing mark if my answers match your speculation."

"Well, I don't know about me, but Houtarou seemed to feel something else
was missing."

Yeah, something was missing.

There was something that I wanted to ask: Did Sekitani Jun forsake his rose-
coloured high school life on his own? I worded my question as follows, "I
have only one question. Did Sekitani Jun wish to become a shield for the
entire student body?"

Itoikawa's gentle expression suddenly froze at hearing that question. She
merely looked at me.

"..."

And stared silently.

I waited for her to speak, so too did Chitanda, Ibara and Satoshi. They were
probably wondering what that question was all about as they waited.

... The silence didn't last long. Itoikawa moved her mouth as though
murmuring something, and said reproachfully, "You really saw through me...
Then I shall tell you about it. I think it's best I start from the beginning all the
way to the end. Though it was a long time ago, I still remember it clearly."

And so, the former Kooriyama Youko spoke about the "Struggle in June" 33
years ago.

"Though the Cultural Festival is just as active as it was then, it feels more
quiet than it used to be. Back then everyone viewed the Kami High Cultural
Festival as their ultimate objective in life. It was a time when people would
actively discard the old and welcome the new, and some say it was from this
overflowing energy that the Kami High Cultural Festival came into being.

"Just before I enrolled in this school, there was a feeling that a riot would
break out. Nothing good would come out of having a commotion go out of
control, right? Yet compared to the violent school incidents in recent years,
the movements back then seemed rather orderly. Though for the teachers of

that time, it was still considered unacceptable."

The recollection that I heard seemed to concern some Modern Japanese
History. I think neither those people overflowing with energy in that time nor
people born in the same period as me could ever fathom the existence of the
other group.

"In April that year, the Principal suddenly had an outburst during a staff
meeting. I believe it was recorded in one of your notes here, 'We must not
allow ourselves to be complacent and become a mere backwater school.'
Nowadays people would just view Principal Eida's words as merely laying
expectation on the students to do well. Yet back then, it was perceived as a
veiled message to crack down on the Cultural Festival.

"When the timetable for the Cultural Festival was announced, there was a
great uproar. The usual five day schedule was drastically reduced to only two
days, and they were moved from weekdays to just two days in the weekend,
as though they were being discarded from the regular school calendar
altogether. Everyone felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over them
and found the decision hard to stomach.

"Since that announcement, I could feel the atmosphere at school becoming
tense, as though something was about to happen.

"First, all sorts of dirty language was being posted on the school's notice
boards. Then there were the public speeches, which is where everyone could
come on stage to say whatever they want, where everyone was getting
increasingly passionate and received applause. Then the movement began in
earnest when it was proposed to pool the resources of the arts-related clubs
together.

"However, though the resistance was expected, nobody seemed to be
prepared for the school's strong response to forcefully carry out the cutting
down of the Cultural Festival. In order to carry out the movement, one must
be prepared to accept the consequences. Though everyone was good at
talking the talk, pathetically, no one volunteered to come out and become the
leader of the club alliance."

Itoikawa shifted in her seat, which created a squeaking sound in her chair as
she continued, "So it was decided to draw lots in order to choose the leader,
and your uncle, Sekitani Jun, ended up with the short end of the stick. The
actual operation of the movement was handled by other people, yet their
names would never appear in public.

"The movement steadily gathered steam, and eventually led to the school
relenting their plans to shorten the festival. As written in your notes, the
festival went on as usual."

Though she described it plainly without any emotion, I could still feel the
atmosphere of 33 years ago, whether it was the passion of the movement or
the cowardice of the representatives, they were all in the past now. Itoikawa
then went on, "But we overdid it. During the movement, I took part in
boycotting lessons. Everyone was on the grounds shouting slogans. The
construction of a campfire brought the atmosphere to a climax, and then one
night it happened.

"The flames in the campfire went out of control. We don't know if someone
did it on purpose, but the Martial Arts Dojo was set on fire. Though the fire
was eventually put out, the considerably old dojo was badly damaged by the
water sprayed from the fire engines."

Chitanda and Ibara's expressions went stiff, I guess so did mine. Even we
could tell this sounded bad, as indirectly, it meant this damage of school
property could not be ignored.

"Such a criminal act was way out of the ordinary, and could not be
overlooked. Fortunately, the school did not wish to make things any worse
and so decided not to involve the police. Though no one could argue against
the school finding someone to take responsibility once the Cultural Festival
was over... Since everyone would be saying they didn't know anything once
the festival ended.

"And so, while the cause of the fire was unknown, the one that ended up
taking the blame was none other than Sekitani-san, the official leader of the
movement.

"Back then, it was much easier to expel a student. Credit to him, Sekitani-san
remained calm to the very end. Though I believe your question was whether
he wished to become a shield for everyone, right?"

Itoikawa merely smiled and looked at me.

"I think you already know the answer yourself."

After finishing her long story, Itoikawa stood up to pour some hot water from
a flask into her coffee mug before drinking it.

We said nothing. Perhaps we couldn't find anything to say. I could only see
Chitanda's lips move a bit, as though muttering "how awful", or "how cruel",
though I have no idea which it was.

"Well, that's all I have to say. Do you have anything else you wish to ask?"

As she returned to her revolving chair, Itoikawa spoke in her usual tone. This
was indeed just a story from the past for her.

Ibara finally broke the silence and said, "Then, I'd like to ask about the cover
illustration that was drawn back then..."

Itoikawa nodded silently.

I was reminded of the cover of 'Hyouka', the one with the dog and hare
chasing each other, while a number of hares formed a circle and watched
them. The dog probably represented the teaching staff while the hares the
students. And the hare that led the dog around in circles was probably
Sekitani Jun.

After Itoikawa came gave us the answer that I had just guessed, I asked her,
"Of all the buildings in Kami High, the Martial Arts Dojo is by far the oldest,
so does that mean it's been rebuilt before?"

I noticed how ancient the dojo was when Chitanda showed it to me back in
April, though I gave no thought to that afterwards.

"Yes, that's right. Since public school buildings are rarely renovated unless
they reach their sell-by date. When all the other buildings were renovated ten
years ago, only the dojo was left untouched since that was renovated before
by itself."

Satoshi then said meekly, "Umm, Sensei, I noticed you never referred to the
festival as the Kanya Festival,"

As the topic was changed altogether, Itoikawa ended up smiling faintly.

"Why do you even ask? Surely you must have figured it out by now?"

"Huh?"

Kanya Festival?

I see. I remember my sis mentioning in our phone call that the term was
considered taboo within the Classics Club. Though it was a bit late, I finally
understood why that was taboo.

"It's because Sekitani Jun did not wish to become a hero, right? That's why
you refrained from calling the festival the Kanya Festival."

"Fuku-chan, what does he mean by that?"

Though Satoshi smiled while answering, this smile was different from usual
in that he wasn't smiling for fun.

"'Kanya' isn't an abbreviation of 'Kamiyama', but rather it's an alternative
kanji pronunciation of 'Sekitani'. I managed to find that out at last a while
ago. It's probably an alternate name for 'Sekitani Festival', in order to fool the
teaching staff while honouring their hero."

... Chitanda then asked, "Sensei, do you know the reason why my uncle used
the title 'Hyouka' for the anthology?"

However, Itoikawa gently shook her head.

"That name was probably thought up by Sekitani-san on a whim while he had
a feeling he was about to be expelled. He said it meant something that he
could not do in his current state at that time. But otherwise, I don't know what
it means myself."

... She doesn't know?

Does she really not know? Or Chitanda, Ibara and Satoshi, for that matter?

Though I rarely get angry, even now I was getting exasperated. Right now all
I was feeling was a sense of irritation, as no one seemed to get the message
that Sekitani Jun had left behind. I was annoyed that no one managed to get
such a trivial message.

Without realizing, I began to speak up, "Don't you guys get it? Just what have
you guys been listening to? I'll just come out and say it, it's nothing but a silly
pun."

"Houtarou?"

"Sekitani Jun wanted to relay a message to us, the descendants of the Classics
Club, and he placed that within the title of the anthology. Chitanda, you're
good at English, right?"

Chitanda went flustered at suddenly being called out.

"Eh? E-English?"

"Yeah. This is actually a secret message. No, more like a play on words..."

Itoikawa didn't seem to make any responses while looking at us. I wondered
if she could have realized, no she must have realized. Yet for some reason
she's not telling us anything. While I didn't understand completely, I tried
putting myself in her shoes and noticed this could be something that could
not be spoken out loud. Perhaps this was also one of the traditions of the
Classics Club?

"Have you figured something out, Oreki-san?"

"Oreki, stop making us guess anymore. Do you really get it?"

"Tell us already, Houtarou."

How many times has it been that I've been pressed for an answer by these
guys? I sighed as I prepared to give my explanation. Though this time I felt
like this had nothing to do with luck or having any flash of inspiration. I just
felt like conveying Sekitani's regret within his pun to someone.

And so I spoke, "What do you think 'Hyouka' means?"

Chitanda answered, "That's the title of the Classics Club anthology."

"I'm asking about the meaning of the word itself."

Satoshi followed, "It's the Japanese word for 'ice', right? So 'ice candy'?"

"Try 'ice cream'."

Ibara spoke, "Ice cream? What's that supposed to mean?"

"Try rearranging the syllables."

Ah, dammit. Why do I always have to go through so much explanation? For
once get what I'm trying to say!

"'Ice cream' itself means nothing. That's why I said it's a play on words."

Satoshi's expression first read "I dunno" before his face went pale as though
all the blood had been drawn from it. Next was Ibara, who muttered "Ah,
that!" with an annoyed expression.

Finally, Chitanda seemed like she still didn't get it. Being an honours student,
I hear she's good at English as well. However, it doesn't seem like she's
grasped the language's functions completely. I wasn't in the mood to tease her
further.

I took the copy of the foreword of 'Hyouka Volume Two' and wrote on it
with a ballpen I brought.

"This is the message your uncle left behind."

Chitanda nodded while still looking perplexed.

When she finally understood, her eyes widened instantly. "Oh!" She gasped
and went silent.

Everyone's gazes were focused on her.

Chitanda's eyes were moistening. It was then that I realized that her months
of requesting my help had finally come to fruition.

"... I remember," she whispered, "I remember now. I asked my uncle back
then why the anthology was called 'Hyouka'. He merely said, yes, he told me
to be strong.

"It was a message for me to live on whenever I should feel weak, or when I
encounter times when I could not scream..."

She turned her gaze towards me.

"Oreki-san, I remember now. I was crying because I was afraid of the thought
of living while being dead inside... Thank goodness, now I can send my uncle
off properly..."

A smile appeared on her face. Noticing that her eyes were getting wet, she
moved to wipe them with her hands. She then turned to look again at the note
I was holding. On it was the true meaning of the word that I had written:

I scream.

Translator's notes and references

1. ↑ TL: Hyouka was published in 2000, before Kosovo declared
independence

2. ↑ TL: Again this part is all liberal translations of things having to do
with Japanese words

3. ↑ TL: Pun changed to make sense in English (beast and feast are not
the original words because if the original words were kept, it wouldn't
be a pun anymore in English)

8 - The Daily Life of the Future
Classics Club

And so the Cultural Festival slowly approaches. Looking out at the autumn
sky from the Geology Room, I find it quite hard to believe that summer
vacation had just ended not long ago. Ever since discovering Sekitani Jun's
feelings of regret behind the meaning of the title "Hyouka", we have begun
work on compiling our anthology.

Currently, we're still not finished with it.

As I wrote a response to my sis's letter from months ago, a scene of carnage
was occurring beside where I was sitting.

"Fuku-chan, are you done yet? The publisher's deadline is coming soon!"

Ibara was nearly screaming as Satoshi had still not completed his allotted
number of pages. Even Satoshi, who was normally calm, was beginning to
show some anxiety.

"Just a little bit more, just a little bit more. I'm almost there."

"That's what you said a week ago."

Though the senior editor for this anthology was nominally our club president
Chitanda, the actual work of distributing page numbers for each author and
dealing with the publishers was done by Ibara due to her experience with
such work before. Under Ibara's strict schedule, progress in the completion of
this edition of "Hyouka" went on smoothly. While I've not yet seen Ibara's
manuscript, she'll probably write something about her thoughts on a classical
manga series. I remember she said it's called tera, mu or numbers, or

something like that, but somehow I get the feeling she was just randomly
picking a title.

On the other hand, Satoshi's unfinished manuscript which Ibara was trying to
whip to completion was what Satoshi described as a comedy related to Zeno's
paradox. That sounded like a rather random title, though reading the back
issues of "Hyouka", it does seem that they publish almost anything. Hence
Satoshi decided his "classic paradox" themed title was considered "classic" as
well, though I do think he could have come up with something better. As
Satoshi was already busy with the Handicraft Club and the Student Council
committee, he seemed to be in distress as only a small amount of his allotted
pages were filled. It seemed Satoshi wasn't particularly good at writing,
which was a surprising weak point I've discovered.

As Satoshi scrambled to write his manuscript with a stiff smile, Ibara walked
in circles behind him while looking at her wristwatch. As though
remembering something, she turned to speak to me.

"By the way, where's Chi-chan? I needed to talk to her about the budget."

Satoshi looked as though he wanted to say something, but frantically went
back to work upon being stared at by Ibara. I had no choice but to stop my
writing and answered, "She went to visit the cemetery."

"Cemetery?"

"Sekitani Jun's grave. She wanted to offer those manuscripts in honour of his
memory."

"Those manuscripts" referred to a conclusion that we wrote concerning the
event 33 years ago. It was written by me with Chitanda's assistance. I
refrained from any unnecessary rhetoric and kept the text dry and prose-like.

"I see."

Ibara said without her usual sarcasm, "What else did Chi-chan say?"

"She didn't say anything else."

That wasn't a lie. As I handed the manuscripts over to Chitanda during
Sakitani Jun's funeral, as well as today when she visited his grave again, she
didn't seem to show any emotion whatsoever. Perhaps she was hiding them,
but I didn't think so. That day when the true meaning of "Hyouka" was
revealed, Chitanda had considered the matter resolved. She'd probably taken
in my explanation since, but I have no idea of knowing.

"Ughh... Fuku-chan, your hand's stopped writing. We only have five minutes
left!"

"Five minutes! Mayaka, this is too brutal!"

As the skit beside me resumed once again, I went into thinking. That incident
didn't just concern Chitanda herself to begin with, as Ibara and Satoshi have
also given their part into solving this mystery.

But what about me?

... As I finished my letter, I placed it in my shoulder bag. I felt sleepy with the
blow of the autumn breeze. No hard feelings to the struggling Satoshi and
Ibara, I think I'll be going home soon.

And then it happened.

The door opened and someone flew into the room. She seemed pretty
flustered. It was our club president Chitanda, who was busy catching her
breath with her head facing down. We were all lost for words by her sudden
appearance. After getting her breath back, Chitanda lifted her face at last.

"Hey, Chitanda-san. I thought you'd gone to visit the cemetery?"

She nodded at Satoshi's question.

"Yes. But, there's just something that I feel curious about."

Feel curious about?

I had a bad feeling about this. No, this wasn't just a feeling, it was the
experience of knowing something is about to happen. Chitanda's hair was
glossed with some sweat while her face was slightly red. And those eyes,
which were sparkling, felt so full of life. It was a sign her curiosity was about
to explode.

"Chi-chan, what do you mean feeling curious?"

Stop asking! I said to myself as Chitanda turned and prepared to leave the
room.

Or that's what I thought she was about to do, but nothing ever escapes her
attention. I found my wrist being caught by her hand.

"Oreki-san, let's go. To the Archery Hall, we might still make it."

"What is it, all of a sudden?"

Even though I knew it was pointless, I still protested. But Chitanda shook her
head at my request for an explanation.

"It's much faster to see it than to speak about it."

It's useless. Once Chitanda decides on something, it would be more efficient
energy-wise to just go along with her whims. Satoshi smiled while Ibara
shrugged her shoulders as they looked at us. Giving up, I said, "OK, OK, I'm
coming. Since you're grabbing me, it means that, right?"

Chitanda stopped and turned to face me. As her huge eyes stared at me, she
slowly replied, "Yes, that's right... I am very curious."

9 - Letter to Sarajevo

Dear Sis,

I'm writing to you as there's something I wanted to ask you. I'll just have to
trust that the hotel you said you're staying in gets this to you.

Just how much do you know about the Classics Club?
Why did you have me join the Classics Club?

You probably know very well what my lifestyle is like. Yet ever since
enrolling in high school, I've been surrounded by Satoshi and other people
that you've not yet met. As I watched these people with a completely
different lifestyle from me, I somehow felt uncomfortable. It was a feeling
you wouldn't feel unless you joined the Classics Club. Had I remained
unaffiliated, I probably wouldn't have thought of questioning my own motto.
Could it be that it was your expectation all along for me to waver?

And then there's "Hyouka".
I joined the Classics Club according to your letter from Benares, and looked
for the safe in the Biology Room based on your letter from Istanbul. But it
doesn't end there. Upon opening that safe, I was placed in a fix in trying to
find out the truth concerning Sekitani Jun from 33 years ago.
In short, the students of 33 years ago were living in an active style that was
overflowing with energy. The so-called rose-coloured life is probably borne
out of this style and the style of "Hyouka". Ever since discovering the truth of
that event, I no longer feel as uncomfortable as I did before. While I wouldn't
say my own style is good, at least I now know at least it's not that bad.
Sis, I...

No, this can't be.
This has got to be a bad joke, it's as though you're trying to manipulate my
mind. But that's impossible.
Anyway, no need to be too concerned about that. I've written all I could about
my present status now. Any further would just be a bother for me.

Have a fun trip.

Regards,
Houtarou

P.S. Thanks for the advice.

Afterword

Greetings, this is Yonezawa Honobu.

About 60% of this novel was pure fiction while the rest was based on
historical facts. This story is based on meagre events chronicled in local
newspapers.
By the way, for the art of fusing fiction and historical facts, anything that you
can come up with a conclusion would be fiction, while historical facts would
be the part that you could not nothing about. That's the gist of it. However,
for this novel, while basing it on a historical background, I had difficult in
thinking out ideas in how to resolve the fictional part.
In order to finish a story, one must imagine a deflationary spiral. I think
Sabrina the Teenage Witch, which was aired on NHK-E a while ago, does a
better job at that.

This book would not have seen the light of day without the assistance of
many people. Especially the following:
Yamaguchi-san and Nakai-kun, who provided important hints for me at the
eleventh hour. Saitou-san, who urged me to make this story likable and
interesting. Tada-san, who has been patiently waiting for me all this time.
Akiyama-kun, who has tirelessly warned me not to get too complacent.

I give my sincere thanks to these people. Thank you all. As it's nearly the
season for yellowtail sushi, you're cordially invited over to my place to try
some.

Secondly.
To everyone from the selection committee who has given this novel a chance,
from S-san in charge of the whole thing, to Uesugi-san, who designed the
cover illustration (for the first edition), Hyouka would not have been possible
without your contribution. You have my deepest gratitude.

By the way, the other day a friend invited me to have some sushi. As the
sushi there was befitting of its price, I was glad he offered to drive me there,
yet my friend didn't seem to be in a hurry as I was when he drove.
As it's nearly dinnertime, the car park was slowly getting full. To be honest, it
was troubling, yet no matter how I rushed my friend, he merely smiled
ambiguously as the car moved slowly.
I knew my friend wasn't the sort to tease people, rather he was quite prudent
and serious. So I had no idea what's gotten into him that day.

Perhaps I'll reveal the truth in a later opportunity.
Until then, thanks for reading.

Yonezawa Honobu